My Food Addiction, My Butt-crack and more....

In the past, I was addicted to cigarettes and I used to drink a lot and smoke pot (and stuff). I rejoice that I have been delivered from those patterns and addictions and celebrate the fact that I am not who I once was. God changed my life! But now as I learn more (and get older), I realize my addiction to food has been the longest, trickiest addiction I have had to battle.

Becoming educated in this area (and I know so little) has changed my mindset, it is changing my life. I have lost 25 pounds since January, 2015 and I still have about 20 to go. Obesity is literally killing us, it was killing me and I was in pain everyday.

The thing with obesity is that it is one of those "addiction" consequences that no one wants to talk about for fear that people may think we are judging people. Well, If I was high on Meth, you would (I hope) confront me because you love me and tell me to stop killing myself. We don't want to point our finger at obesity and plainly put, fat people. It's a tough addiction and probably one that many of us struggle with. I know I do! It's food, we need it, companies need to make money and they need you to come back, so they create a really good product to keep you coming back for more. Hence...the addiction is created!

I am a pretty frugal person, I love resale shops, sales and I pride myself on not spending over $20 for a pair of jeans. Well, when I burst out of all my jeans and my baggy shirts became skin tight, I had a very good excuse for why this was happening and basically lied to myself in saying that it had nothing to do with the ice cream, cookies, fast food and snacks that I was eating.   **Even when I went and spent almost $200 on a pair of jeans that would fit my new "curves" so that I could spare my kids from having to look at my butt-crack hanging out of my pants, I still didn't recognize the problem. **

I could buy new jeans, but I still felt sick. Headaches, migraines, joint and muscle pain were everyday struggles I dealt with. I had a constant flow or Excedrin Migraine, Motrin, Aleve and sleep aids going through my system and always close at hand. I just thought that this was my life and I would always feel this way.

Today, I am on a journey and I have some incredibly inspirational and passionate people that have inspired me as I continue going forward.

Let me say it again, It stated with knowledge (and grace). First from my Lord and Savior and the example that He gave in His Word. I recommend the 21 Day Fast through YouVersion. I wasn't setting out to lose weight or to change my life, I just wanted to spend time with the Lord and through it He revealed to me my strongholds and one of the major struggles I had was food.

The Lord brought people into my life to walk alongside me. Helping my body to heal through JuicePlus+, my sweet friend and coach, Cheri, taught me so much about the body and what it needs to function properly. I started using the fruit and vegetable powders faithfully and saw much of my pain go away. I have now added the Complete Protein to my routine as well. Love it!!

Then I watched the movie Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. This movie did such a great job of making my health and how my body works understandable and it really motivated me to take it to the next level. I started adding juicing to my daily routine.

With the added juicing, I saw my body completely detox, the inflammation go away and the weight fall off. An interesting bit of info I heard (and don't quote me, but it made sense in my journey and testimony) was that 15% of weight loss is exercise, 35% is what you eat and 50% is detox. I found that so much of what was keeping me fat was that I was poisoning myself with killer toxins through all the crud I was eating and putting in my body. I could go to the gym all I wanted, but the weight never budged because I was full of poison.

So there I was, my relationship with the Lord growing stronger as I began to grasp the importance of keeping the temple of the Holy Spirit healthy SO THAT I can continue to do His work.

But, I still needed help on what to now put in to fuel my body. Learning through various sources on how to eat clean, I am still learning. Thankfully as I detox, my cravings for sugar and food-like products have almost completely diminished, minus that 4 day cruise we just took (remember, I operate under grace.)

I have been inspired and motivated by the recipes of Christina Jordan who has an incredible weight loss story herself. She now coaches and walks alongside people on Facebook and through her very own company Fit Body Weight Loss to help them to live a healthy life. She has dedicated her life to loving people in the Lord and teaching them the joys of healthy living.

I am happy to report that my $200 jeans are too big and I bought a new pair (that I love) for $15!
A friend of mine said "Your skin looks so healthy." My pain is 99% gone. I have more energy than I have had in long time. My massage therapist re-evaluated me yesterday and said my posture and muscle functions have increased positively. I LOVE coffee, but don't drink it regularly anymore because I don't "need" it to get me going in the morning. Now, when I have it, it's a special treat on that rare occasion. I sleep well at night and the insomnia is gone and most nights, I can fall asleep even through my husbands snoring (I love him so!)

Please know, I don't claim to know much except what is going on in my own life and in my own journey. Healthy living is changing my life for the best. I am learning through the journey. God loves me and thinks I am amazing regardless of my weight and the food I put in my body. He loves you the same way, regardless of what you look like and what you eat.

But I do know, that God has entrusted me to care for what He has given and He has entrusted you with the same. So how are you doing?

I operate under grace. Grace has saved my life eternally and grace in my daily walk keeps me going on the days when I fall down, when I slip and when I fail. Today I am staying healthy so that I can continue to do what God has called me to do. Lots of ups and downs, but God is faithful.

I love how people have loved me and gently (and sometimes extremely firmly) spoken truth into my life. I love you in the Lord and pray that He would draw you close to Him and speak whatever truth He needs to into your life.

I pray that He would bring people into your life to walk alongside you to keep you strong in Him and strong in body SO THAT you can continue to do His work joyfully and with a healthy temple.

Please feel free to contact the people I have listed, Cheri and Christina. They are there to help and they know way more I do. Their lives and testimonies have encouraged me and I hope that my journey will do the same for you!

Blessings sweet friends!
Mia

PS, as I was scrubbing the tub, this other thought came to me. Food addiction isn't just for those of us who show it through obesity, it's for all of us who struggle. You can be thin and struggle, but maybe your struggle is silent. It comes down to the fact that we are called to be healthy! #GoodChoices

Love ya!

The St. Paddy's Day Struggle

This is my own personal St. Paddy's Day celebration

Today as I reflect on the life of St. Patrick, this is what hits me most as I have been struggling and battling depression over the past few days.

Patrick was a young man who was taken into captivity and enslaved for six years in Ireland. It was during that time, when he had nothing else, that he turned his life over to Christ. It was was in the darkness that he saw light, hope and saving grace. It was then when he realized that he had nothing else but Christ and Christ was enough.

So if you are celebrating this day well, Have fun! Enjoy the corned beef and cabbage! But if you, like me find your self in a bit of a stooper, take heart.....Christ is enough, His grace is enough, He is the comfort and comforts us in our affliction, He draws near to us as we draw near to Him.

So, as I and many others get caught up in the green (which I heard wasn't even his color), let's take heart and get caught up in the example that Patrick was and what God can do in the midst of our captivity, in the midst of our struggles, in the storm of our pain. God is faithful. His word is true.

Look up! He's got this!
I love you in the Lord, Mia

A Message From Michelle

A message from my homeless friend, Michelle... "Anyone who sees my picture, tell them to love Jesus so they can go to heaven"

There is something overwhelming about the call of God. In spite of our present suffering, the call remains the same.... To go, tell and share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus-The perfect sacrifice. Through Him, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone.

May you know this truth today. You are loved!


‪#‎SolaFide‬ ‪#‎SolaGratia‬ ‪#‎SoloChristo‬ ‪#‎SolaScriptura‬ ‪#‎SoliDeoGloria‬

Pruning Hurts! Ouch!!

I have been slacking in the Blogging world, but as a little re-boot, I want to share my husband's blog with you today. It hit me deeply today as God revealed some areas in my life that need to be pruned.

May it be a blessing to you as well.

(Mr.) "Koehne’s Corner"



This weekend I had to cut down all of the bougainvillea plants in my back yard because they were dead from the frost this winter. If you are unfamiliar with these plants they have a lot of sharp thorns. I would have liked to take them all down in one fell swoop, but I couldn’t do it that way. It was one small branch at a time until all the dead parts were removed so the new parts could grow. It was long and painful and I got scratched and pierced by the thorns more than a few times. I pulled thorns out of the bottom of my shoes at least a dozen times through the process. While this was an unpleasant and sometimes painful thing to do, it was necessary if I wanted the dead parts off and the plant to survive.

God does the same thing with us. He wants to cut away the dead parts of our lives so the new parts can grow. Sometimes he needs to cut away more than we would like. We even stick our thorns out to try to protect the things in our lives we don’t want to give up. John 15:2 tells us, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” God has a bigger and better plan, even when it seems painful to us. As the dead parts of our lives are cut away, the new and living parts have a chance to grow. As difficult as it is, lets work together to try to embrace the work God is doing in our lives rather than sticking our thorns out to resist it. -Bob Koehne

Thank you, Bob for your heart and sharing this week!
So, here is the actual finished product. Oh, that I may look like that!

How do YOU measure a year?

My favorite thing about the New Year is looking back. Looking back on all the 525,600 minutes, all those those moments that have happened, all that God has done and all that He has brought me through and all that He has accomplished. It's the beauty of hindsight. New Years's Eve gives me that chance each year.

This past year has been a journey through the Word of God. Reading through the Bible in a year, Digging deep into the character and faithfulness of God has been nothing short of life changing. I didn't want it to end, but then my husband said, "You know, you can read it again." I know, I know, he is a genius! That's why I married him on this day 21 years ago Dec. 31, 1993.

Dec. 31, 1993

Well, in the last month of my daily readings, through prayer and meditation on His word, I knew God had something new in store for me. I prayed each day with anticipation of what it was. And true to His character, He revealed it to me.

To me, there is something overwhelming about God and His revelations to us......... and that is our response. Now that it has been revealed, will I be obedient to what God has been equipping me to do over and throughout this past year?

The answer is simple. Yes.

Sometimes God asks us to do things are comfortable and right in our zone. Then there are those times when we are pushed way out of our comfort zone and into a place of complete and undeniable dependence on God to see us through and for courage to even dare to step out.

That is the place I am in. It's scary for me, but I know that for me not to move forward in His plan would mean complete disobedience on my part and that's just NOT where I want to be. The funny thing is, my place of discomfort may be your place of leisure and what seems like a simple instruction to me, may be the hardest step of faith you will ever take.

Whatever our marching orders, whatever our call, the beauty and intimacy we share in saying yes to God surpasses the heartache of running from His will, even when the run away may seem easier, especially when we can run and so easily forget what He asked us to do in the first place. God does not forget His plan for us. God is faithful.

So here I go, ready to jump into 2015 following His call and looking forward to the next 525,600 minutes, those moments that will lead me to, Dec. 31, 2015 (Lord willing) when I get to look back again.

"In daylights, in sunsets

In midnights, in cups of coffee 

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife 

In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes 

How do you measure, a year in the life?" RENT~Jonathan D. Larson

So the answer for me in How do I measure a year in the Life? It really would be in Love, the true love and the glory of God weaved in and throughout each day, the love of a Father who sent His son so that we could have eternal life with Him. May these seconds, these moments all point to Him,....all of it, even the sweet moments sippin' on a cup of coffee. May it all bring Him glory!

Happy New Year Friends! 

May you hear His call, see His plan and follow with all your heart.

Christ was born for this!

And remember WE Are NOT Alone!



"You Are Not Alone" by Mia Koehne

Remembering My Dad

Paul G Grotelueschen ~ December 8, 1927- December 20, 2011

Three years ago, I jumped on a plane, landed in Denver, waited by a bus stop in the middle of a major blizzard (dressed like I was from Phoenix) to get to Colorado Spring just in time to hold my Daddy's hand as he was ushered into the presence of Jesus Christ.

I miss him so.

I remember him in those last days asking to be brought to the front of the church, because he wanted to sit up front. Well, I am sure my Dad is sitting front and center, kneeling at the foot of His Savior, Jesus Christ, worshiping the Father in complete Spirit and truth. 

He taught me so much.

What Do You Want....What Do You Need?

I heard this the other day. "When you're happy, you listen to the music. When you're sad, you understand the lyrics."

Whether you are happy or sad, I want you to hear and understand the lyrics.

I am in the beginning phases of writing for my new album.

What do you need to hear, what do you need to know, what do you need to learn?

I have some things that I want to say, but I am also interested in what you need to know.

Feel free to comment! Also if you can let me know your age range (you don't have to be specific) and gender, that would actually be helpful. Thanks!!

#FaceToFace